Subscriber of the Gods Episode 48
Episode 48. The Lynxes
Ibeka Academy Principal’s Office.
While the principal was looking over the list of students admitted to the donation program, he discovered a piece of parchment that had been left out.
“Huh? Why did you set this aside, Director of Admissions?”
This time too, many people requested donation admission.
Many people, both teachers and students, applied, and among the numerous letters they sent, there was a separate piece of parchment that was left out.
“Unlike other applicants, this applicant donated a considerable amount of money as a tuition fee. The amount was a whopping 10 million gold.”
A large amount of money that the admissions director would set aside.
The average was between 2 and 3 million gold.
“Oh, ten million gold? That’s not a small sum of money. Which noble family’s son is this?”
“I am the eldest son of Count Wickers.”
“Whickers? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“He is a count from the western part of the country, and is said to be the older brother of Nathan Wickers, who is at Freya’s Academy.”
“Oh, that’s Nathan Wickers’ older brother! But if he’s Nathan Wickers’ older brother, isn’t he pretty old? He must be over twenty?”
“I didn’t apply as a student, principal.”
The principal’s expression, which had been interested in those words, returned to its original state.
“Then I guess you’re trying to get an honorary teaching position.”
“That’s… … a little different. I sent you a separate letter. And here, if you look at this, you’ll understand better.”
The director of admissions handed the parchment to the principal.
It was a parchment containing information about Ethan Wickers.
“Hmm, twenty-one years old. You couldn’t even hold a sword until recently? You were known to be sickly, so you were nicknamed the sickly prince?”
Reviews of Ethan Wickers were mostly negative.
He was known to be a sickly child at a time when he should have been growing and becoming strong, so he received more negative reviews than positive ones.
The Counts of Wickes were not a very famous family either.
“Nathan Wickers is one of the best in Freya, but he shines alone within his family. His family doesn’t provide a proper background.”
The glory of the Earldom of Wickes lay mostly in the past.
Now, its glory and honor had faded, and it was not very competitive compared to other nearby fiefdoms.
“Even though we have an honorary teacher position in Ibeka, we can’t appoint someone who doesn’t have basic skills as a teacher. If they had at least some skills, it wouldn’t matter.”
The honorary teacher system was a much-discussed one.
However, from Ibeka’s perspective, it was a beneficial system in many ways.
It was a great help financially and also because it gave me connections with noble families who gave me honorary teaching positions.
But that doesn’t mean that just anyone can be given the honorary title of teacher.
If the person who received that honorary title behaves carelessly, it will soon become Ibeka’s fault.
“That’s right. But I heard he was once called a swordsmanship genius.”
“Even so, it’s just a theory. And it’s a half-baked theory. Without practical experience, it’s meaningless. Isn’t that right, Admissions Director? And it’s not even the central government, it’s a local noble. Well, that’s all I can say.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But anyway, since you sent me ten million gold, I can’t refuse. For now, I’ll send you an invitation. I’ll decide then whether or not to give you the honorary teacher position.”
“Principal, there is more to the letter I sent you.”
As the director of admissions spoke cautiously, the principal frowned slightly.
“Is there more? Did you come with a favor? If that’s the case… … .”
“This is not an application for an honorary professorship.”
“Huh? If it’s not student support or honorary teacher support… …?”
“I would like to formally apply for a teaching position.”
“For ten million gold?”
The principal was impressed.
No matter how much you donate to the entrance fee, getting a full-time teaching position is a different story. Basically, you have to take an exam to get into a full-time teaching position.
It is on a different level from the honorary teaching position where one is simply a teacher in name only.
“You’re making such a fool of our Ibekah.”
Ibeka is a place where many talented children of noble families, from high to low nobility, regardless of whether they are from the central or local areas, gather.
Because of that kind of Ibekah, the teachers who taught those children had to be the best.
If you teach carelessly, it will only end up being accepted.
“It would be a mistake to think that children lack skills. They don’t just have potential. Some children have awakened on their own and turned their potential into skills. If there are only such students and a mediocre teacher comes in, they will only suffer.”
The director of admissions agreed with him.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything rash, so I quietly waited for him to speak.
“Which department did you apply to?”
“It’s the swordsmanship department.”
“I want… … .”
Even in Ibeca, swordsmanship was a strong field.
Not only the teachers, but also the students are all incredibly talented.
To get in, you had to be several times more competitive than the teachers of the spear and archery departments.
Of course, the treatment was also top-notch.
“Our Ibeka’s pride is the swordsmanship department, and you want to take the swordsmanship department’s teacher exam by donating 10 million gold to the entrance fee? You really are a bold friend.”
“It says that all I need is the right to take the exam. It says that the ten million gold will be donated as admission fee.”
At this point, it felt quite fun.
According to the letter, the ten million gold was simply used for taking tests.
Ten million gold is not a small amount of money that can be easily paid out.
It is an amount of money that would be difficult for a local count to afford.
“For ten million gold, I can give you at least a chance to take the test. Send me a reply. Tell me to attend the Ibeka Academy swordsmanship teacher exam on the date. In return, tell me that you will consider me as a swordsmanship teacher applicant, not an honorary teacher. I will tell you that I will never hire you if you are not at that level.”
* * *
“You came to see me in person. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Count Yurahan.”
“You are Count Wickers. Nice to meet you. My name is Martha Jurahan.”
The drawing room of the Countess of Wickes.
Counts Yurahan and Wickers greeted each other.
“First of all, congratulations on your great success. At one time, the Earldom of Wickers was so great that it was hard to think of it as a provincial fiefdom.”
“You are exaggerating. The Yurahan County has maintained its prestige ever since, so I think it would be rude to compare it to our territory.”
In the past, he would have blushed and been unable to respond properly to such humiliation. However, Count Wickers was very relaxed these days.
Count Yurahan observed the change in Count Wickers.
The current Count Wickers was a completely different person than before.
‘Ethan Wickes, did that sickly prince do this?’
The James Wickers before my eyes was a completely different person.
“You came to see our first son, right?”
“Yes, our Yurahan Group sees potential in Ethan Prince’s business and wants to invest in it.”
Count Yurahan said with a smile.
He was smiling, but his words were sharp. After all, he was there to invest in Ethan, a rookie who was running a promising business.
Count Wickers smiled along with those words that clearly revealed the hierarchy.
“I have a pretty promising business, so Ethan is a little busy. Could you please wait a little bit?”
Count Yurahan felt inwardly displeased. Up until now, he had made people wait, but he had not waited very often.
But he wasn’t the kind of person to foolishly mess things up like that.
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ve set aside a lot of time today.”
Fortunately, the door opened shortly after.
“I am Ethan Wickers. It is an honor to meet you, Count Yurahan.”
“… … I’ve seen you before, do you remember me, Prince Ethan?”
“Yes, I remember, Count.”
Count Yurahan paused for a moment when he saw Ethan. He certainly looked as sickly as he had been told.
A hazy look in his eyes, a slightly skinny body, and even a malevolent impression.
But it felt fundamentally different.
As soon as Ethan sat down naturally in front of Count Yurahan, Count Wickus stood up.
“I’m busy… … I’ll get up first. Ethan, don’t be rude to the Count.”
“Yes, Count.”
Ethan and Count Wickers locked eyes.
A silent signal was exchanged, and only Ethan, Count Yurahan, and their respective escorts remained.
Yeerika, dressed in a robe, quietly pulled her hood over her head and waited behind Ethan.
Ethan sat down and remained silent.
Normally, Ethan should have spoken first, but he knew his place very well.
I also knew very well that the person I had come to ask for a favor was the other person.
‘I get it now.’
Count Yurahan opened his mouth, laughing so hard his teeth were showing.
Count Wickers’ leisure did not come from business profits.
Leisure came from Ethan Wickers, the eldest son of the Wickers Counts.
“Ethan Prince, I came to see you for no other reason than your excellent business. I just looked at it briefly and it was amazing!”
“Thank you for the compliment. I’m just starting out, so I’m a little embarrassed to show it to the Count who runs a huge business.”
But Count Yurahan had seen countless instances of these guys being boiled alive.
Besides, Ethan was a beginner.
He’s a rookie among rookies. He’s never been outside his territory before, and this is his first time doing business.
‘A beggar who has obtained great treasure through beginner’s luck.’
Beginner’s luck should be moderate.
If you acquire a treasure that you cannot afford from the beginning, it will turn out to be a disaster rather than a treasure.
“If you make that business bigger, you’ll make a lot more money than you do now. I’ve heard the story. You can no longer wield a sword. It’s such a shame. But I didn’t know that even Sangjae showed his talent. That talent won’t run away!”
Ethan responded with a smile.
Then Count Yurahan poured out his words like a torrent of water.
These were words that subtly praised Ethan.
As I listened, I couldn’t help but feel good because it felt like Count Yurahan was really acknowledging me.
“It’s just a small success. It’s not that big in scale.”
“I know, I know. You are short on money, right? You have great talent. You want to grow this business, which will definitely succeed. That is why I came to you. Prince Ethan, our Yurahan Group will provide the money.”
“Are you sure?”
When Ethan showed interest, the Count smiled and continued speaking.
“It doesn’t matter how much it is. We at Yurahan believe that your business will definitely succeed. We have been waiting for a talented person like you. We will nurture that talent. It doesn’t matter if you fail. Even if you fail, we won’t ask you to pay back the money we supported. Instead, if you succeed, we will share a small amount of the profits.”
It was a very sweet offer.
It’s such a good offer that there’s no reason to refuse it.
“Now do you understand why I came to you in person? Our Yurahan Group wants to give you our full support. I see great potential in you. So… … .”
Count Yurahan met Ethan’s eyes again.
But, at that moment, goosebumps appeared on the count’s back.
Creepy.
It was a gaze that seemed to see right through me.
It was a look in his eyes that seemed to know why he had decided to support Ethan himself and why he was speaking vaguely.
‘I know. I see right through it all.’
The count instinctively noticed.
That Ethan Wickers already knows he’s here to swallow up the lightweight workshop.
Doesn’t he already have the power to protect the treasure?
But at the same time, I also felt like I was thinking too much.
Are you overthinking it because you’re surprised by those eyes?
Ethan quietly opened his mouth to the Count, who was beginning to feel embarrassed by his own thoughts.
“That is a very good suggestion, Count. Really.”
Count Yurahan could no longer read Ethan’s eyes.
fantasy,
